The Art of Being Unapologetically You with George S. Midla Part 2

From rattlesnakes to beaches, aging perspectives to the merits of novellas, our candid conversation with author George Midla dives deep into the creative process behind three published books.

We explore Midla's personal favorite stories from his collections, including the emotional "Black Roads" inspired by a loss in Afghanistan, and "The Wish" - a potential children's book about a man and a mermaid that examines our tendency to overlook what we already possess. Midla's lifelong connection to the ocean permeates everything he writes, leading to a fascinating discussion about how environments shape storytelling.

When Midla reads his short piece "Anne's Feet," it sparks a thoughtful examination of health versus beauty and societal expectations. This seamlessly flows into one of the most compelling segments where Midla shares his theory about fundamental differences between men and women - likening women to "onions with multiple layers" who approach situations from various perspectives, while men tend to see everything as "nails to be hammered." His observation that men soften emotionally with age reveals how time transforms our worldviews.

The conversation concludes with exciting news about Midla's third book, "A Texas Treasure Tale," a novella that garnered impressive download numbers. Already three chapters into his next project, Midla reflects on how reading "some garbage" books motivated him to start writing again. Whether you're fascinated by creative processes, human psychology, or just enjoy authentic conversation that feels like eavesdropping on old friends, this episode delivers unexpected wisdom with Midla's signature ocean-deep perspective.

• "Black Roads" made Midla cry while writing it and is dedicated to someone who lost their life in Afghanistan
• "The Wish" is about a mermaid and explores how we wish for things we don't have instead of appreciating what we already possess
• Midla's extensive experience with the ocean (surfing, sailing, scuba diving) naturally flows into his writing settings and themes
• "Saltwater cures everything, whether it's tears, sweat or the sea" serves as a personal mantra
• Reading of "Anne's Feet," a short story examining the difference between health and beauty through a woman's contemplation of her feet
• Discussion on how men and women perceive the world differently – women as "multi-layered onions" viewing situations through different perspectives
• How aging changes men: "When we get older, we soften up, we get more emotional"
• Announcement of Midla's third book, "A Texas Treasure Tale," a novella that garnered 2,700 downloads in one day
• Three chapters already written for a follow-up to his latest novella

The Rambling Gypsy podcast is a behind-the-scenes look at the lives of real Texans doing real sh*t. We're pulling back the curtains on our daily lives - and you're invited to laugh and learn along with us.

Links:
http://www.youtube.com/@TheRamblingGypsy
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https://www.instagram.com/GypsyMammaTiff/
https://www.theramblinggypsypodcast.com/

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:15

I kind of agree with that.

Speaker 2 0:16

So on, hot buttons out of here, hot buttons. What is your favorite part?

Speaker 1 0:24

Of the book. Of the book Is there a particular? Story there's uh, there's um black roads. Black roads made me cry, and I, you know, when I was younger and I hate to say this, I shouldn't say this so explain I shouldn't say this opinion what black roads?

Speaker 1 0:40

um, it was. I was in afghanistan and and somebody I knew well, that was a good person at the farm and it was a long drawn-out death and people were involved and it was anyway, you have to read it, but interesting in itself and I'm getting a top off here and thank you so much, thank you everybody, but it was that took a heart, that was heart and the book is dedicated to that gentleman that lost his life. That was hard to write. There's a book in there too. There's a story in there called it's about a mermaid. Oh, the Wish, the Wish. And did you read that? Probably not, and I got some feedback on that and I really liked that story too.

Speaker 2 1:39

What was the feedback?

Speaker 1 1:44

Wow, wow, uh, I mean it. There's a quote in the front of it. I wrote myself that we tend to wish for things that we don't have and, you know, kind of don't appreciate what we already have, and that's what it was about. The story was about that I think it would make a great children's book, but I don't write children's books and a lot of people do, and it's kind of easy and I don't mean to punk anybody out, any authors out there because it's kind of easy to, I think, to write a children's book. Oh, I shouldn't have said that I'm going to get, oh, I'm going to get hate mail from that, but I think it would make a great.

Speaker 1 2:22

I think that story if you dumbed it down for like a five or six-year-old it would make a good children's story. I really do. And again it's called the Wish and anyway, guy meets a mermaid, and again more ocean stuff, beach stuff, and it makes that decision decision.

Speaker 2 2:40

So do you feel like in different areas, when you were down at the beach or the island, that it resonates and helps you?

Speaker 1 2:53

come up with no, no, no, no. I've spent so much time around the ocean, you know, in it, on it, around it, you know, you know I've just been so much so it comes out of my writing.

Speaker 1 3:03

I mean, I can't help to use that as a setting, because I love it and it's. You know. There's an old quote from years ago saltwater cures everything, whether it's tears, sweat or the ocean. Maybe it says the sea, I'm not sure. But tears sweat or the sea, right, saltwater cures everything, and I've always Kel can tell us and.

The Ocean's Influence on Writing

Speaker 1 3:25

I used to surf. I've surfed the East Coast, west Coast. I've surfed a lot too, in world-class breaks too, and I've been out, I've sailed, I've been out for days out on the water. I mean I have scuba dives, I'm a master diver, I mean I just love being around that and there's a lot of questions around it and I talked about you know it's somehow settling. Also, too, you know the ocean, right it's. You know, if you believe in evolution, we can talk about evolution if you want next, but if you believe in evolution, you know we crawled out of the ocean.

Speaker 1 4:03

I will say, you know, nine months in my, you know, in an amniotic sack, that's. You know salt, right, right, salt water, you know it's that. I think too. You know, once you're born, you know, once you go to the ocean, it's like unless you have a boat, then you're screwed. But once you get to the beach, you can't go any further. You know further. You know it's like what's over the next mountain, what's around the next turn, and then you get to the ocean and there's a beach, and then the ocean's there and it's that's it, and then you could sit and relax and have a drink, you know, and you know, ponder whatever, read and take it easy. So I think there's a lot of all. There's a lot that draws us to the ocean, you know. Besides, you know I don't know a Jimmy Buffett song or whatever and a margarita, there's other things, but I've spent so much time around the water and loved it and met people, great people there too, that it's hard not to find that in my writing, if that makes any sense.

Speaker 2 5:05

Have you ever had a fear of the ocean?

Speaker 1 5:08

No, not at all. No, not at all. Well, I almost died in it a couple times, but other than that, no.

Speaker 2 5:19

You started talking in a couple of our First Deals interviews and having you on the show, where you're at the ripe age of five. Just remember some of the most epic things, that things your grandfather said and and I'm thinking to myself that my god, at five I was running around doing stupid return shit.

Speaker 1 5:41

We all did that.

Speaker 2 5:43

But did you have like young ages where I mean you know?

Speaker 1 5:50

we all did that, but don't, wasn't there anything?

Speaker 2 5:52

were you afraid of sharks? I mean, there's the oceans of anything. I mean, like I remember, my third birthday.

Speaker 1 6:00

isn't there anything when you were younger that something just kind of pierced it Pierced all the running around and whatever being dirty and your friends and throwing rocks into whatever or breaking something. I mean, isn't there anything that when you were that age that pierced that and you remember that? Isn't there anything? Yes, Well, then there you go. That's what it was.

Speaker 2 6:22

It was one of those things that pierced that and you remembered it.

Childhood Memories and Life Lessons

Speaker 1 6:25

What did you do? Like break something your parents held dear to themselves? I know, took out your mom's wedding ring and threw it into a crick or something. Nope.

Speaker 2 6:35

What, what was it? I was running around the house and I had my little brother and was dragging him around like a rag doll there you go.

Speaker 2 6:41

He was like two nursemaid's elbow and um went around the back of the house and there was a we're out in the country, out in the I mean not very far from here, out in the middle of nowhere, and um, there was a ginormous coiled up rattlesnake and I had to protect my brother. I had everything and at that point in time was when, at a very young age, that I realized, oh shit, I should maybe like put on a shoe, or maybe like a shirt or something.

Speaker 2 7:14

Because I mean Hang on, you understand, I mean I was like a female Mowgli that was running around from a freaking jungle boat. Yeah, but you understood the threat. You damn right I did and you're protecting him. You damn right I did and you're protecting him. You damn right I did.

Speaker 1 7:23

And that pierced that. And you know, there's things in everybody's life, whatever it is. It may be a rattlesnake, it may be a quote, it may be, you know, I don't know. You know they, you know, took out mom's wedding ring and lost it in the backyard. But there's things that pierce that and you'll remember it.

Speaker 2 7:41

I'll never forget it Like it was yesterday.

Speaker 1 7:42

Don't we fault for it, don't fault me for it, cause it's happened to you.

Speaker 2 7:50

And you're a gypsy Soul, my soul and I heard gypsies remember everything. Um, well, maybe some matter better than others, but yeah, but um yeah, that was. That was definitely a definitely a very touching oh shit moment at a very tiny age for me. We did not spend a lot of time talking about this book.

Speaker 1 8:18

I love y'all. I want y'all to keep this rolling.

Speaker 2 8:19

I'm gonna cut you off. Okay, all right, are we doing okay? Yeah, we're doing great. No, we're doing great. We're doing great. You weren't here the second time. You weren't here the second time and the first time.

Speaker 1 8:28

The first time I came in, I'll be honest, I came in blind.

Speaker 2 8:31

I know I came in straight up blind.

Speaker 1 8:33

I had no idea what to expect and you wouldn't even talk to me. You're like nope you gave me the stiff arm and so I'm not even. We have some kind of chemistry. I'm glad we have a chemistry on the camera. I'm glad we have chemistry on camera. We'll put that shit on camera, right too.

Speaker 2 8:51

I'm glad we have chemistry on camera, because off camera.

Speaker 1 8:53

We have no chemistry.

Speaker 2 8:56

But I mean, we have some chemistry.

Speaker 1 8:58

It's good, it really is Thank you Coming from you, that's very flattering, and you filled up my glass with not tequila, but vino it's bueno.

Speaker 2 9:07

Thank you so much. No, mas, I brought tequila, but next time I'll bring more.

Speaker 1 9:11

All my booze is down at the beach house.

Speaker 2 9:14

You know, I got you.

Speaker 1 9:15

I don't drink much when I'm up here down at the beach.

Speaker 2 9:18

Yeah, well, guilty as charged. This is a no judgment. Okay, what are we talking about now? We can talk about now. So I want you to pick um, okay, so you just, we discussed your most favorite out of the short story, favorite collection. What is your? Maybe I shouldn't put that one in there what I don't want to say? Least favorite, because that's negative as shit. I have no regerts?

Reading "Anne's Feet" Short Story

Speaker 1 9:47

I have no regerts. Nice, I have no regerts at all. No, not least there's one in there called Anne's Feet. Did you read that? Probably not. I told you, it's the shortest story in there and I really liked reading that In fact before I came here tonight, because I know we talk about this book and I reread that story and it's about a page and a half. I could read it again if you want.

Speaker 2 10:14

I would love for you to.

Speaker 1 10:15

Really, I'll probably bore the heck out of your audience?

Speaker 2 10:17

No, Because that was a question I had. I was thinking when you were reading earlier. Do you often just sit down and read in front of people?

Speaker 1 10:30

No, not at all Ever. No, not at all, no, never.

Speaker 2 10:34

So you weren't hanging out like what was that bookstore that they used to?

Speaker 1 10:38

have Barnes and Noble.

Speaker 2 10:39

Oh, that guy, you weren't like one of those that just.

Speaker 1 10:44

No.

Speaker 2 10:45

No.

Speaker 1 10:45

Barnes and Noble. No, no, barnes Noble. You mentioned Barnes Newman. That's kind of a sticky thing. I had somebody write a review on. Barnes. Noble was probably from my neighborhood and like wrote a nasty review about like, but it had nothing to do with books. It was like it was just retarded and I contacted Barnes Noble and I go I got, I go what is this? And they're like they took it down immediately and I'm sure they threatened them, so this is called.

Speaker 1 11:12

This is called anne's feet, and it is is a page and a half who's anne?

Speaker 2 11:16

anybody you could be anne I mean, you could be anybody. Anybody, you could be. You could be anne, you could be anybody. Anybody could be.

Speaker 1 11:25

You could be and you could be Shall I read this Please, are you just like going to get it?

Speaker 2 11:29

No, you get a rid of me for the rest of the night Because I have a whole foot conversation we're about to have after this. Come on.

Speaker 1 11:34

Into feet.

Speaker 2 11:37

Read.

Speaker 1 11:38

The two girls had spent the morning at the salon, and Julie had her fingernails painted, polished, while Ann had the same along with her toes. It was late afternoon and they both decided to have a drink on the beach.

Speaker 2 11:52

Go figure.

Speaker 1 11:53

And make plans for the upcoming weekend. You know how young girls are, right? Ann leaned back in her chair. She held her breath and stretched her legs out. The young woman could feel her muscles tighten and then relax them and exhaled. And looked down at her feet with their new robin egg colored nails and studied them closely. If this was the first time she'd ever seen them, maybe I'll start a new like a trend for robin egg painted nails on their toe, on people's, on women's toes. She considered how much she had spent on keeping calling it jungle toes her feet looking attractive over the years.

Speaker 1 12:36

Do you think my feet look odd? And voice was calm and focused. No, I believe you have lovely feet. Julie sounded factual in her remark. No, I say odd because they are too perfect. People do not have perfect feet. After all, a foot is nothing more than a stupid hand. I suppose you do, but you do have lovely feet, repeated, julie. Do you think I could find work as a foot model? But you do have lovely feet, repeated, julie. Do you think I could find work as a foot model? Maybe the after picture after a bunion procedure or an aggressive toenail fungal infection? Probably not. No one would believe it. I can't believe. My feet are too pretty for anything except to stand on.

Speaker 1 13:24

Anne then turned her gaze towards the ocean while she wiggled her feet into the warm sand. She closed her eyes and smiled and thought that, with regards to your body, being healthy was more important than being attractive. So how a foot looked really wasn't important. She thought that she might stop putting the time and finances into beautifying them. They just needed to be sturdy and not hurt. No one could want anything more from a foot. After all, it was just a stupid hand.

Speaker 2 13:58

Okay, so what's the?

Speaker 1 13:59

going away point. It's better to be healthy than attractive, and also, a foot is nothing more than a stupid hand than a stupid hand all the podiatrists are going to give you bad reviews now um what you go get pedicures really really it's a yes or no question that's definitely a strong no, no never been dig your toes in the sand. I walk in the sand a lot barefooted absolutely. There's a whole movement with it's called grounding and about feeling there is. Yeah, about feeling the earth.

Speaker 2 14:46

Yes.

Speaker 1 14:46

So, yeah, so always barefoot on the beach, yeah, and walk a lot. Yeah, without a doubt.

Speaker 2 14:51

I'm always barefooted.

Speaker 1 14:52

Miles and miles. Yeah, grounding is interesting because I know whoever sold that know sold that they must've been from the city, Because if you live in the country or down at the beach, you're barefoot all the time. So I you know being grounded. Oh, you know, it's supposed to be good for you.

Speaker 1 15:08

It's like I've spent my whole life like that you know, everything still hurts, you know and it hasn't done anything for me, but I guess, and and, and I read it's funny. You mentioned grounding. I read something recently and they talked about you know sitting at a desk and taking your shoes off and like just feeling, like you know whatever's. You know feeling underneath.

Speaker 2 15:27

The shag carpet yeah.

Speaker 1 15:29

That's 70s, but you know. But putting your feet on the ground and feeling that and being connected to Mother Earth.

Speaker 2 15:40

But you know, People don't do that anymore.

Speaker 1 15:42

Well, well, if you live in the country or down at the beach, do it all the time. But if you're a city, folk, okay, I, you know, maybe grounding is important for you. You know, it's okay, I mean, but whatever, there you go.

Speaker 2 15:53

Sidewalking, yeah, getting.

Speaker 1 15:55

But whatever, there you go, sidewalking.

Speaker 2 15:58

Yeah, getting your footsies in.

Speaker 1 16:01

But if you're from the, if you're from this, you know, like you know the Southeast or you know the South or you know some beach community. You're just like, really this is going to change my life. Not really, you know, I don't think it's that therapeutic.

Speaker 2 16:13

So where were you at when you decided that you were going to write about Anne's Feet?

Speaker 1 16:17

you decided that you were going to write about Anne's feet. Yes, I don't know. Yes, you do. I write a lot down on the island, on North Padre Island. I write a lot down there and I have a back patio and probably rum.

Speaker 2 16:41

If I was going to throw a dart.

Speaker 1 16:44

I would say rum and a candle and a pen. I used to teach and my students gave me a pen and I use that. I use and I have a composition books, although I'm getting more.

Speaker 1 16:57

I have a laptop and I'm starting to do more of that, but and I'll scribble notes down- and just get liquored up and just write and just kind of vomit on pen to paper and do that and probably down there. But who knows, wherever I travel a lot I like to bring paper and pen with me and just scribble notes down. But Where's Anne? Where's her feet? Bring, you know, paper and pen with me and just scribble notes down.

Speaker 2 17:21

So but who where's ann if?

Speaker 1 17:22

there's one where's your feet? What's that?

Speaker 2 17:24

you know, ann walked by there on the island somewhere and you're like, your feet are way. Can I say something? Can I say no, no time out, I don't if anything, if anything, if anything.

Speaker 1 17:37

I don't have a. I definitely don't have a foot fetish. I don't have a foot fetish at all. If anything, I've seen women with crazy looking toes all twisted.

Speaker 2 17:49

You know what I mean? Yeah, that's it.

Speaker 1 17:50

And their nails are beautifully done, but they're. You know what I mean. Yeah, I know exactly what you're talking about, and initially, can I say, when I initially wrote that short story, that very short, short, short story, the shortest story in that book. I put a note in there about some women have really ugly feet, but they still feel like they need to show it off, You're only as strong as your weakest link. No, no, what is beauty? You can't handle these things. No, hang on, hang on.

Speaker 2 18:20

Hang on. What is beauty?

Speaker 1 18:20

You can't handle this, no hang on, hang on, hang on, hang on. What is beauty? What is beauty? And some women have their beautifully done toenails and yet their feet, their toes, are like curled up, and I've seen that before. And then I think and I go, wow, that must be painful, especially if they wear certain types of shoes. And don't get me wrong, I can respect and admire an attractive foot, but I think, when it comes down to it, if a foot is just a stupid hand and maybe and I think people that are in the industry that do pedicures or whatever, they'd probably throw, they'd probably wanna cut, they'd probably want to cut my throat for saying that maybe it's not such a big deal, you know what I mean. Maybe it's not, you know, but not that. As a man, I don't appreciate a woman doing that, and you know. But maybe it's not as important and it and again the whole thing that you're, you're beating me up on that but the whole thing on that story I absolutely am not.

Speaker 1 19:22

The whole point of that story is that health is more important than being attractive. You know what I mean. You could be the most attractive person in the world, but if you have a defining, illness A rotten core. No, no, a defining illness. And I don't mean about personality, I mean a real sickness that it doesn't matter. You know what I mean. You know, I would you know, and health is more important than anything.

Speaker 1 19:48

And a lot of people have, probably because podiatrists are probably making a fair amount of money. A lot of people probably have painful feet or uncomfortable, and I don't know, probably have painful feet or uncomfortable and and I don't know. So, and I, you know, I guess maybe I do look at women's feet, cause you girls show them off all the time and I do, I look at them. But you know, I, you know, I mean but health, but I use that as a vehicle to say that health is more important than than beauty.

Speaker 2 20:21

Today's world.

Speaker 1 20:24

What.

Speaker 2 20:25

That is so tough from a woman. I mean it's absolutely. It's almost refreshing to hear that.

Speaker 1 20:36

What.

Speaker 2 20:37

That health is more important than beauty.

Speaker 1 20:39

It is.

Speaker 2 20:40

And in today's world.

Speaker 1 20:41

Until you get sick. When you get sick, then you realize it. Yeah, yeah, realize it.

Speaker 2 20:45

But you know what's unfortunate about that?

Speaker 1 20:47

What.

Speaker 2 20:47

Is that it takes most to get sick, until you actually realize it.

Speaker 1 20:52

Yeah, well, well, that's life, that's it, it is. You're born, you die and the rest is magic and mayhem, right, yeah? So I mean it's ever. However, you want to follow it and I will say I mean I respect women, so I respect your girls so much I shouldn't say women, I respect your girls so much. Your girls are complicated, and you know, I hear men talk about, oh, you know, women are complicated. You're not, you're not, You're not. Men look at everything like it's a nail.

Speaker 2 21:19

A nail.

Speaker 1 21:20

Yeah, a nail, we just, you know, and we're a hammer, everything. And I think women, personally me, women are different. Women are different and you girls are more like an onion. There's multiple layers and you look at things differently as a mother, as a, as a wife, wives, lover, uh, a daughter, a daughter caregiver caregiver, but you look at a businesswoman in your case too, but you look at things from different perspectives and it's it.

Speaker 1 21:56

I find a comical where men go. I don't understand her and the thing is personally, I think, right, men look at everything the same way. Right, everything's a nail. And I find it comical where men go. I don't understand her and the thing is personally, I think, right, men look at everything the same way, right, everything's a nail. And I think you girls again, I'm gonna go back to the onion analogy you look at things like an onion that there are, you have multiple layers to you and you look at things differently because you put different hats on when you look at something. Does that make any sense? And I don't mean to confess that I understand the woman's psychic, I don't, but I respect it. I respect it and I just and that's how I feel that you know you're really not that complicated, you know. You just look at things from you, you attack as you see something and it's like well, what hat is she wearing when she's looking at it? Because she looks at it from different perspectives.

Speaker 2 22:43

Anyway, I think men and women are very similar.

Speaker 1 22:54

Really.

Speaker 2 22:55

I do.

Speaker 1 22:56

In what way we breathe air.

Speaker 2 22:59

Well, I mean, and then there's that I'm not going to give you all that, but I mean yeah, it's physiological, but how do you say psychologically? Well, I think that you guys do view things the way that we view things in different manners. Obviously, things in different manners, obviously. So, if it's um, in caregiving, I think that y'all are I don't want to say bred to or whatever it's the testosterone side of y'all being the protector and I've got to go, I've got to.

Speaker 1 23:40

It's a nail, you've got to hammer it.

Speaker 2 23:43

But then once if you realize that y'all can take caregiving to a completely other level, which is when you've got kids, or you have grandkids, or you have a dog, or even if you have a goldfish, if you really understand that that is something, that it's not a protecting aspect or I'm just not the one that's supposed to just bring home the bacon. I am supposed to do more than that.

Speaker 1 24:09

That sounds like a man when he gets older. Sounds like a man when he gets older, when a man's young oh yeah. I can tell you, I can tell you about me, right into my 30s. Y'all got blinders on.

Speaker 2 24:22

Y'all are doing no you didn't talk about being a nail, that's all y'all think about Nail, nail, nail, nail, nail, nail, nail.

Speaker 1 24:27

Yeah, nail, when we get older, we soften up, we get more emotional.

Speaker 2 24:40

Without a doubt.

Speaker 1 24:41

Yeah, yeah, that is. That's the difference between a young man and an old man Hundred and 10% yeah. We get older, we get more emotional, yeah.

Speaker 2 24:50

Cheese and rice. What can we do to like change the formula?

Speaker 1 24:53

and just what formula? Why, why, why, why would you change it? Look, we all want to get nailed. I don't want to Just as much as you all want to nail us. No way, no way, no way.

Speaker 2 25:04

And then as you're dying. But we just want y'all to.

Speaker 1 25:07

I want to be no no, no. I think no. No, there's a reason for it.

Speaker 2 25:12

The book is called Love to War Love to War. Yeah, exactly, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1 25:17

Love to war. Yeah, you want me to read something else out of that.

Speaker 2 25:21

Yeah, I want to finish our conversation.

Speaker 1 25:23

I'm trying to change it right now.

Speaker 2 25:25

I am absolutely not going to let you do it.

Speaker 1 25:28

I can't back out of it. I would love to back out of it. No, sir.

Speaker 2 25:31

No, sir, you can't back out of the jungle.

Speaker 1 25:34

You're charming, but I have to go right now no, you don't.

Speaker 2 25:36

Oh wow, oh, wait a second. Oh, the phone just rang. Oh, my goodness, I have an appointment. Bless your heart.

Speaker 1 25:41

No, you don't all right, god shoot. What are you gonna? What are?

Speaker 2 25:44

you gonna? What are you gonna? Come on, we're just talking about what. Do you want to know the difference when they, the young boys we would just like to have, I mean, you guys have some type of it's not gonna happen it's not gonna happen. It's not gonna happen, so it's that one fucking rib, ain't it.

Speaker 1 26:00

No, why change? Why change? Can I say something?

Speaker 2 26:02

Please.

Speaker 1 26:03

I'm going to get in trouble for this.

Speaker 1 26:04

Are you yeah, I'm going to get in trouble. I'm sure your listeners are going to hate to hear this. When I was younger, I mean there could be an auto accident, there could be body strewn all over the place and death and carnage, and I would go, yeah, let's go to lunch. And now that I'm older, yeah, I mean things are different. But now when I was younger, I mean I don't mean to make the flat tire sound, but when I was younger I'd be like, yeah, let's go to lunch. And now I'd be like, ah, maybe that's kind of yeah, that's kind of messed up, that's kind of messed up.

Speaker 2 26:44

That's kind of messed up, that's kind of messed up. Yeah.

Speaker 1 26:48

That's kind of messed. No, I would help. Yeah, I would help, but I mean maybe you know, maybe I need to maybe I need to, you know, reflect a little bit.

Speaker 1 26:58

You know, and you know, maybe not, I wouldn't lunch wouldn't be the first thing on my mind because it's, you know, one minute after 12. And I think you go through that. I remember I remember meeting an older gentleman and he he was an older guy and I wouldn't call him a wimp, but there would be a. There was a somebody I knew. Her brother used to sing and do recordings and he lived in St Thomas and they would play his recordings and it, it.

Speaker 1 27:32

It didn't matter what song it was, but when he heard this guy's voice sing he would start to cry. And it was so funny because people would put the music on. And he was, he was an older gentleman and we would all laugh because we put this music on and he would start crying. He goes. I don't know why I do this, but I always weep when I hear this. You know, I would cry when I cry when I hear this guy's song and I and I and I looked at this guy and he wasn't a you know, he wasn't a wimp, and I was like when he was, and I look at him and I go when he was younger. He would never do that. But now that he's an older man you know that somehow that song, those songs or the way he sings moves him in that respect, and young men don't feel that you know, Young men don't feel that you know so.

Speaker 2 28:21

We feel all that.

Speaker 1 28:22

I know.

Speaker 2 28:22

I mean, I do, I know, yeah, I can watch a freaking commercial on the Super Bowl and start crying yeah, for real.

Speaker 1 28:33

Yeah, and I understand that, and it's probably some stupid ass Pepsi commercial I understand that and respect that.

Discussing the Third Book and Future Projects

Speaker 1 28:39

But again, you look women, women, I think for me personally this is my opinion women are an onion. There's multiple layers and you guys just look at things from different ways and sometimes something will hit you and you'll look at it with a different hat on or a different perspective and you'll cry and and you know, and sometimes men don't understand that, and you'll hear comics will make fun all the time about you know, I don't know what you do, you know about I don't know my wife's thinking and blah, blah, blah, and I just want to watch television and the game or whatever. And I think, personally, I don't know if I'm right or wrong, I could be wrong, we'd have to do a study on it, but it's just. You guys look at things with different hats on and not, you know, and I understand that, respect it and it's okay and that's why we're different.

Speaker 1 29:29

You know, I like that old story too and this is not from my loins at all but women chase men. You know, because of the rib. You know, supposedly eve was made out of adam's rib. You know, and that you know because of the rib. You know, supposedly Eve was made out of Adam's rib. You know, and that you know Adam is. Men chase women to get their rib back. You know, and and your girls are just. You're supposedly made from the same, but you're different. You're much different than men are, and I don't know. It's cool. I think it's cool and I think if you were like guys, I wouldn't be interested in you.

Speaker 1 30:00

I wouldn't be interested in your sex at all.

Speaker 2 30:02

Yeah.

Speaker 1 30:02

If you were the same, you know.

Speaker 2 30:04

At what age do you feel like you-?

Speaker 1 30:05

Oh, but when really saying you said you know, I'm like 98% of men out there that we're just like, we're like flat, we're like flattened that a woman would even sleep with us, that's like 98% of men. I mean, it doesn't matter if she has one eye and a wooden leg, you know what I mean, it's just like, really, she's interested in me. Oh my God, why, you know? I mean, that is not that and I will tell you right now. Let me let the secret out right now. 98% of men feel that way.

Speaker 2 30:38

Really.

Speaker 1 30:38

Without a doubt, without a doubt, pop, but it just, like I said, it's just 98% of men, it's just yeah, it's yeah, it's like I can't believe really. You know, and you know, and you girls, god bless you, you know you worry about your hair?

Speaker 1 30:56

Hang on, hang on hang on, you worry about your hair and your makeup. You know, I've seen women that are so attractive and they have like like like one crooked tooth in their mouth and they whatever, or their hair, and they focus on that and they worry about it, you know, and they pine over it or they try to hide it. You know, there's a there's a story in there about baggy pants and they try to hide it and they focus in on it and it's some kind of flaw and they worry about it. And again, 90%, 80% of men are just like oh my God, really She'll go out with me. Wow, you know, she's really going to do a second date with me.

Speaker 1 31:36

I can't believe it, you know, or whatever. She's going to do a second date with me. I can't believe it, you know, or whatever. She's going to talk to me. But there's a story in there what is it called, I can't remember. Talk no, anyway, but there's a story in there about baggy pants and actually the woman in that story came up to our table in Cibolo and was running her yap, and I based the story off of her and was running her yap and I based the story off of her.

Speaker 1 32:03

But it's so amazing, you know, and you girls try to hide things and that you worry about stuff.

Speaker 2 32:07

You know why we try to hide things and worry about stuff?

Speaker 1 32:17

Because you guys are a bunch of fucking critical little shit breaks. And then for you to say, oh, fuck off. Well, first of all, every woman out out there, I'm letting you right now 98 of us were just absolutely floored that you would even talk to us or spend time with this forget about sleep with us, forget about sleep with us. And that's 98 of males out there well in the back of our mind.

Speaker 2 32:37

We all know that you guys would just completely fuck a hole in the wall if it's called it's no, no, yeah, whatever, can I can I tell you? Can I tell you a story? Can I? Can I?

Speaker 1 32:48

no, no no, if we know we know, we know y'all will but if there was a snake in the wood pile, if there was a snake in the wood pile, anyway, go ahead.

Speaker 2 32:58

Yeah, exactly, so yeah, but I mean we're picky.

Speaker 1 33:07

What women I mean some. Women.

Speaker 2 33:09

Some don't give a rat's ass.

Speaker 1 33:11

Women are picky, Well that's fine, it's okay, it's your prerogative, yeah as you should be.

Speaker 2 33:15

It's your prerogative. That's my whole point. And I mean, unless you've had that one rum and that one, whatever, I'm just saying well that goes back to it.

Speaker 1 33:29

That goes back to it. So you know you guys have the, you know you're controlling the faucet and, like I said, men, like 98% of us, are just like just absolutely floored that a woman would even, you know, spend time with us or sleep with us.

Speaker 2 33:43

And then there's so many that are like.

Speaker 1 33:45

What I can't what I mean what? Just think that y'all are just entitled to every ounce of what pwn that is supposed to drop at your feet well, well, they may have had their ego stroked by other women and that's why is that? I don't know. I I'm not speaking for the entire male population, yeah me neither.

Speaker 2 34:09

I'm just saying in general, you know 99.9.8, oh 99.8.

Speaker 1 34:18

I'm going to say 92%, 92% are just like thrilled at a woman and you know it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter if she has one eye and a wooden leg. You know it's like wow, you know I'm so't matter. It doesn't matter if she has one eye and a wooden leg.

Speaker 2 34:28

You know it. Just it's like wow, you know, I'm so flattered. As long as she has a freaking orifice, y'all are fine with it.

Speaker 1 34:32

Wow, you're really like put no.

Speaker 2 34:35

I don't, well, I can't speak for the population.

Speaker 1 34:41

Can I tell you something, too, that I over the years and I'll tell you. But this is me, this is not. You know, I can't speak in general, but I think every woman, it doesn't matter who she is, doesn't matter who she is, what she looks like, her background, whatever I think if you spend enough time with her, there's something in there that a man could find attractive I'd love that and thank you for saying that, and I don't care.

Speaker 2 35:04

Like I said, I don't care, absolutely I don't care about.

Speaker 1 35:08

If you spend enough time with her, you'll find something that's attractive and it's absolutely the same thing about a man, yeah and that's why we're attractive to each, attracted to each other, yeah, 110.

Speaker 2 35:18

I tell you, and uh, and I will touch base on this, just I learned a very long time ago that you can never judge a book by its cover, and that goes but that is true now in books. Very gay. Um, and this was in in the business world Um, when I was wholesale and motor homes all over the world and traveling and talking to people and I'd be at nascar and hanging out on redneck row mobile home.

Speaker 1 35:51

I'm sure I had the entire fourth, fourth turn.

Speaker 2 35:56

and um, I tell you, there there would be people that would come up and cut off jean shorts I'm talking wife beater tank tops. Women, men, I mean just all walks of women didn't really have on much. I mean if they had one tooth.

Speaker 1 36:14

Women and men. Okay, women and men.

Speaker 2 36:16

That was great.

Speaker 2 36:17

If not no big deal whatever. But I did a lot of business down there, sold a lot of coaches down there, absolutely, and it would be the people that I literally could sit underneath the bridge and hang out and talk with so many of them. And just because I always had so many questions, I wanted to know how and why and what. And then there'd be the ones that would show up in the business suit and you know how and why and what and when. But there was no difference in that person that's sitting up in the sky, rise or whatever, versus this guy. You don't know this guy's story down here. I mean, my uncle was one of the wealthiest guys in New Braunfels and he walked the streets up and down this town for years and years and years. No one would speak to him. No one would. They thought he was all cuckoo for coconuts. He was a veteran that had all fucked up his head. He had millions of dollars buried in his backyard in buckets, in mayonnaise cans.

Speaker 1 37:34

Did you find them?

Speaker 2 37:35

And we knew. We were the only people that knew.

Speaker 1 37:37

So you knew you dug it up. I was going to say I mean, the city wanted to condemn his home.

Speaker 2 37:45

I mean so you just don't ever know. And so when you say that if you you look deep enough, or if you meet that person, oh, okay yeah, that I feel like you can find love I'm talking about women within talking, women in general.

Speaker 1 38:02

I'm talking about women general.

Speaker 2 38:04

I don't know we were having a heartfelt moment. No, we are, but I'm talking women in general.

Speaker 1 38:06

I mean you spend, you spend, cut you off. I thought we were having a heartfelt moment. No, we are. But I'm talking women in general. I mean you spend time with them. There's something there.

Speaker 2 38:10

Well, the same thing with about men. I mean, I can spend time with women all day long, but men like everything and I can't stand them.

Speaker 1 38:16

See now, I think, men look at everything like a hammer. Oh, they nail y'all are fucking pussy really think you really think we're that like, we're that like deep, oh 110 you just don't know it I'll be damned well. I've never looked at it from your sex.

Speaker 2 38:32

I have different plumbing, but thank you for telling me that I would never knew that I would never thought that we were that interesting absolutely, really I'll be damned.

Speaker 1 38:41

You know, wow, I you know, and I was always raised with the joke. What's the difference between a man and a vibrator? You can't get a. You can't get a vibrator to mow the lawn you can't get a man to shut up anyway, so anyway. So yeah, I never thought thought people looked at my sex that way.

Speaker 2 39:08

I do anyways.

Speaker 1 39:09

I'll be darned.

Speaker 2 39:09

Just like you said, I can't speak for all the other women in the world.

Speaker 1 39:12

I'll be darned, I'll be darned.

Speaker 2 39:14

Y'all are just as much of an onion as we are, but y'all are so much more stinkier. Y'all are the ones that make our eyes leak and shit A little watery, yeah.

Speaker 1 39:27

Yeah, the ones we have to wear goggles on, and yeah, Okay, hey, can we pull a plug on this?

Speaker 2 39:30

Can we Real quick?

Speaker 1 39:31

Good fucking night.

Speaker 2 39:32

We have to talk about. We have a third book. Yeah, and this is what that's all we're going to say, and then we're going to bury it. Yeah, sure.

Speaker 1 39:41

Open it up.

Speaker 2 39:42

A Texas treasure tale.

Speaker 1 39:44

Open it up. Open it up. Look what I drew. Look what I put in there. Is it a penis? What do you think about that picture? That's us.

Speaker 2 39:51

It's so good. That's us. Y'all have to wait for it. Look at you.

Speaker 1 40:01

And I do okay.

Speaker 2 40:01

You did so good. Let me look at it again.

Speaker 1 40:05

I did it just before.

Speaker 2 40:06

I left, don't show anyone, I just came before you did so good, let me look at it again, cause I did it just before I left here. Pretend like we're playing playing the what's the secret game.

Speaker 1 40:12

That came out terrible. That came out terrible.

Speaker 2 40:14

There's the cameras right there. No, it's so good I'm glad you enjoyed it. This is the third book.

Speaker 1 40:20

I did a. I did a novella, which is a short novel novella and it. Novellas are really popular right now and I don't know whether it's like people just want to read something short or like TikTok they have a short attention span because of TikTok. But I wrote a short novel and tossed it out there and I will admit there's some. The setting is North Padre Island and there's some opening ends. I left at the end of this book and I sat back and I've been getting some feedback too. So do I write? I was thinking about writing a full length novel as a follow-up to it or another novella. I will tell you now I'm three chapters into the next book based on that. I read an autobiography and it was like really good in the beginning and then towards the end it was so bad. And then I opened and I finished it and I picked up another autobiography and I was reading that and I was like wow, this really stinks and it was enough to motivate me to start writing again.

Speaker 1 41:22

So I'm three chapters into it in a follow-up to that. I don't know what I was going to write. I thought I'd do something different, maybe something I left that open. It's that's 117 pages. I mean Hemingway good, huge fan of mine, so much, and he got his Pulitzer prize for old man in the sea which was 78 pages long.

Speaker 1 41:45

So I was like, let me do a novella and put it out there, because I see a lot of people reading on the beach and I wanted to write something that somebody could read, you know, for like an afternoon at the beach if they're a big reader, or the weekend and still have like a lot of drinks and have fun and not be wedded to a book and be done with it. You know, before they go home. You go home and have that connection to the island, have that connection to the beach, and that would to me, if I heard one person read that book or part of that book on Padre Island somewhere, that would make my life Really, it would make me so happy. But anyway. So that's what I did and tossed it out there and I've been getting so much good feedback and again I was dragging my feet.

Speaker 1 42:31

But I'm three chapters into a follow-up to that and there's one character named Nine, nine and a Half who's based off a character actually in Port Aransas, and I met him and kind of mirrored it off of him a little bit, but not really, and the follow-up to that starts out the first chapter with him in it. We'll see how it goes. Of course it has to be edited. I mean, that book was a lot longer than it was and after the edits it got chopped down to what it is now and I'm really excited about it and we'll see what happens. But I've got a lot of good feedback on that book and that novella.

Speaker 2 43:13

Well, I can't wait. We are going to discuss this one on our next episode.

Speaker 1 43:18

Really You're going to have me back. Yeah, you're not going to kick me to the curb.

Speaker 2 43:22

Absolutely not.

Speaker 1 43:23

Really no.

Speaker 2 43:27

You don't hate me. Oh my god, I hate your stinking guts. Oh, say it. No, absolutely not. You got my card in the mail, you know? Seriously, I mean, you're welcome anyway thank you so much and uh, I'm so grateful, I'm flattered, I got to come back here. It's so good.

Speaker 1 43:44

And yeah.

Speaker 2 43:45

I feel like I learned something.

Speaker 1 43:49

I'm sorry.

Speaker 2 43:49

Is this one published, yet the third book.

Speaker 1 43:51

It came out right. It came out after Thanksgiving of this of last year.

Speaker 2 43:55

So the third book is, so we've got three middler books out there.

Speaker 1 43:59

Yeah, and actually I had the best because I coined it as a romantic thriller and that book I did an advertisement for one day and I had over 2,700 downloads, which for Stephen King is probably a nothing burger, but for me that was the best day I had. So I had one day I had 2,700 downloads on the book.

Speaker 2 44:23

So yeah, I was very pleased with that.

Speaker 1 44:25

I was like wow, you know. So I'm starting, I'm building a rep thousand seven hundred downloads on the book.

Speaker 1 44:26

So, uh, yeah, I was very pleased with that. I was, I was like, wow, you know, so I'm starting, I'm building, I'm building a rep and building a name, you know, uh, as a writer and uh. But uh, anyway, so I've been getting some good feedback and, uh, I've already started on another book. I don't know if it's going to be a full-length novel or another novella to follow up after that. And again, novellas are really popular right now.

Speaker 2 44:48

I just like the word novella.

Speaker 1 44:50

Really, because it sounds like fella.

Speaker 2 44:53

No, absolutely not.

Speaker 1 44:55

I just think it's a sexy word Novella. Okay, it's between a short story and a novel.

Speaker 2 45:01

It's beautiful. I don't know I do. I just think that's a good word novella.

Speaker 1 45:06

I almost added some short stories at the end of that book. You know in the front and then throw some at the end, but I go, you know what? I think you could stand alone and I think it reads well and again I've gotten some good feedback and I'm very happy with the project. Very, very more than you could know, but I'm very happy with the project.

Speaker 1 45:23

I love it and and again. I've already started on a follow-up to it and I love it. It's going to be a full-length novel or another novella. Maybe another novella would be fun and somebody could just pick up and read at the beach. And you know, whatever you know.

Speaker 2 45:40

Two tears in a bucket. That is a good way to end that. Two tears in a bucket, yeah, and a novella coming soon After this one. We're going to talk about this one. We're going to talk about the Texas Trail.

Speaker 1 45:50

I don't feel in a rush to finish it, but it's coming and sometimes it's the hardest thing to start a book. It's the hardest thing to start it and again, I read some garbage. I read some garbage and don't get me wrong I'm not like, oh, I could do better than that. I just read some garbage and I was like, oh God, I need a break from this. I hit two, you know two whiff, I whiffed twice. You know I got two bad books and I go, let me go ahead and try something. And it just started. It started and it started and sometimes the hardest thing is to start writing, start writing a project. So hopefully it continues forward and I have something before this year is out and have something out that I can give you and draw a picture in.

Speaker 2 46:37

It is such a pleasure to have you here.

Speaker 1 46:40

It's a pleasure to be here. You have no idea.

Speaker 2 46:42

Your breath of fresh air is such a huge inspiration for me.

Speaker 1 46:44

To you yeah, wow, I don't know what to say. A breath of fresh air, such a huge inspiration for me. To you yeah, wow, that's very wow. I don't know what to say.

Speaker 2 46:48

I feel like every time we visit and every time we talk, I feel like I learned so much from you.

Speaker 1 46:54

About me or from in general.

Speaker 2 46:57

Both. Okay, just both.

Speaker 1 46:59

I'm glad you don't hate my stinking guts.

Speaker 2 47:03

I don't know where you get that from, but you need to take that and you need to go throw it in that fucking ocean.

Speaker 1 47:08

It's from a girl I knew in college that used to say that. That used to say that about people. That used to say that about people I hate your stinking guts, and I thought that was the most vicious thing anybody could ever say.

Speaker 2 47:21

Yeah so don't do that. Don't do that to me. No, I'm not. I'm flattered I it's every time you're here.

Speaker 1 47:35

You're a wonderful woman.

Speaker 2 47:37

It is such an honor and I know it's mine, it's mine, it's mine, it's mine, by far it's mine, it's mine.

Speaker 1 47:41

I can't wait for the next.